Prognostic and diagnostic anthropometric biomarkers of sarcopenia in a cohort of Egyptian patients with hepatitis C-induced liver cirrhosis

Abstract

Abstract Background Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis (LC) worldwide with decompensation-related clinical sequelae. Sarcopenia is currently recognized as a fundamental complication of LC owing to various mechanisms. This study aimed to assess the role of anthropometric measures of sarcopenia in predicting the outcome of LC as assessed by the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) grade. Results A cross-sectional study was carried out on 80 patients with HCV-related LC with different CTP grades. The diagnosis of sarcopenia was based on the 2018 definition of sarcopenia according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP). Muscle strength was assessed by hand grip strength (HGS) and lower leg extension strength (LES). Assessment of muscle mass was performed by measuring mid-calf circumference (MCC) and mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC). HGS varied significantly between the different CTP grades, being highest in CTP grade C. Additionally, the number of patients diagnosed with “definitive sarcopenia” using either HGS/MCC or LES/MCC varied significantly between CTP grades, being highest in CTP grade C. Conclusions HGS is a better predictor of worse outcomes of liver cirrhosis than LES. The combination of MCC and HGS or LES is a potentially promising noninvasive prognostic biomarker of liver disease.